Page 108 of Broken Princess

“Good.”

Sterling laughs, again. “And when this is done, the real fun begins.”

Forty-One

Jordanna

They’re sitting at their usual table in the cafe, stoic faces pointed at me. Even Tabby looks pissed to see me. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” I look around for my boyfriend, their former King. “Where’s Logan?”

“What do you care?” He asks, from behind me.

I take in his bloodshot eyes and shadowed jaw. “Are you drunk, at three in the afternoon?”

“Are you a hoe all times of the day?” Bella counters.

Hal and Frankie snicker, like they know something I don’t. “If anyone’s giving off hoe vibes, Bella, it’s you.”

“Oh, so what do you call fucking three guys at the same time?”

“You’re bringing up last year’s lie? God, get new material.” I turn to Logan. “Come on, let’s go get some food in you.” I say, holding out my hand.

“He’s not going anywhere with you.” Tabitha snarls, getting to her feet and guiding Logan to a seat.

It’s weird for him not to sit at the head of their group, yet thrilling because I’m the reason he’s no longer there. “What’s going on, Logan?” I ask, ignoring the hostility in Tabitha’s voice.

Bella answers instead. “What’s going on is he knows you’ve been playing him this whole time, and before you fix your mouth to lie, Charity, we have video evidence of your conversation with Noel and Sterling.”

Logan pulls a flask out of the pocket of his hoody and guzzles it like a baby on a bottle. He lowers it, swiping his hand over his mouth. Bella continues doing all the talking. “Where is Sterling with the video camera, anyway? Or was your plan revealed prematurely?Oops.”

Logan is not the victim here. I found the camera in my room three nights ago. Just as I was letting my guard down and allowing myself to love him again. He hasn’t changed at all, he just got better at hiding his shit. Bella thinks she’s outed me, and ruined my plans. Now that I no longer have to pretend, it's like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. Living a double life is tiresome. How the hell do spies do it? My eyes meet his, but I refuse to look away. I can't worry about the pain I see in his eyes. After all, he didn't give a shit about the pain in mine.

“Was this your plan all along, Jordy?” He jumps out of his seat, staggering over to me. “To come back here and fuck me over?”

After everything, and despite how pissed and violated I feel again, I was gonna let it go and be the bigger person, but look how easy it was easy for him to fall back into his old patterns. Bella gives him a drop of info and he didn’t even come to ask me about it. This just shows where his loyalty really is.

“Now, baby.” I coo. “Don't act like I took advantage. You enjoyed every screaming minute of it.”

"I told you..."

“What. That you were sincere this time? Totally and completely in love with me?” I suck my teeth. “You expect me to believe that bullshit? Look where your are right now. The first hint of trouble, you went to booze and your bitchy little friend instead of coming to talk to me.”

“I thought we meant something to each other.”

“So did I. Once. But not anymore,” I sneer, raking my eyes over him in disgust. “Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm grateful I learned how to fuck from the best.” Noel snickers behind me. “But there was never any future for people like you and me.”

“This isn't you.” Logan says, glaring at Noel over my shoulder. “This is his influence.”

I hit send on my phone. “No, Logan. This is me, now, and I'm nobody's puppet.” Alerts start going off around me, and I know it’s because a file has hit each of their Prospectus inboxes.

My eyes slide to Bella’s. I saw the game she was playing before she ever revealed her hand. She had her minions lurking in corners, following me, and got Monty to do one last job. I know she thinks she found an expose focusing solely on Logan, but that was just the bait I left lying around.

“What the hell is this?” Hal roars, shaking his phone at me.

“Insurance. If any of you come after me, a copy of those files gets delivered to the press.”

Those files, are my real story. They include dates, names, and places of all the dirty little things the Beautiful People from Kingsley Hollows like to get into in their free time. It’s an embarrassment of epic proportions for them and their families.

“They’d never print this without proof.” Logan says, still sober enough to know that I might be full of shit.

---